During commercial meat production in a meat processing facility, an animal (e.g., bovine, porcine, and ovine) carcass is subjected to a number of different procedures. For example, during commercial beef production, an animal is stunned and hung from a conveyor system, such as a trolley running along an overhead rail. The animal is then exsanguinated by severing the arteries at the base of the neck. Next, the animal's hide is removed. Removing the animal's hide typically involves several steps, including making a series of cuts along a hide removal pattern. Portions of the hide are then partially removed by alternating manual and automated steps. The animal is then transported to a downpuller, which engages these partially removed portions of the hide and exerts a downward force on the hide, thereby pulling the remainder of the hide from the animal's carcass.
After removal, the hide is preserved by a process commonly referred to as “curing.” Commercial curing processes generally involve the application of a salt brine to the hide via a tumbler or similar system in order to prevent bacteria from affecting the quality of the hide, and thus, the quality of leather made from the hide. After curing, the hides are advanced along a trolley conveyor to a folding station, where each hide is visually graded for size and quality, manually folded and then stacked on a pallet along with other similarly graded hides for shipping.
Several challenges are presented by this grading and folding process. For example, the process requires significant manual labor. Additionally, hide graders are given a very short period of time just prior to folding to make a grade determination. This results in a significant number of grading errors and/or inconsistencies, which can adversely affect the quality and/or consistency of hides that are delivered to the tannery.